Severed Heads: British Beheadings Through the Ages

For many, the highlight of a guided tour of the Tower of London is Tower Green, the site of the scaffolds on which Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey and many others, before and after, met their end. This book, written by a retired Yeoman Warder from the Tower, presents a morbid but entertaining anthology of one hundred of the thousands of men and women who fell victim to the axe or sword (or the Halifax Gibbet or the Scottish Maiden). The entries, arranged chronologically, also look at the victims’ alleged crimes, any last words and the disposal of the body and head, often on spikes on London Bridge. A closing index lists each victim, identifying the type of blade that finished them off. The author clearly enjoys uncovering little known facts and anecdotes and this book captures his enthusiasm.